Capturing Beauty and Adventure: Trip to South Africa

By Erin Rice, Bellaire High School, School Buzz Photo Editor | January 29, 2015

Click the Buzz Me button to receive email notifications when this writer publishes a new article or a new article in this column is published.

This picture was taken at Camp's Bay as the sun set on New Year's Day, and the sunset silhouetted many people who were sitting up on the rocks.

This winter break, I spent my time in Cape Town, South Africa, a city overflowing with cultural influences and beauty everywhere. My family and I ventured to South Africa for my older sister’s wedding; my sister’s husband is from there, hence the exotic destination.

My trip to South Africa, however, had many additional exciting events. My family and I went shark diving near Seal Island. We went down in the freezing water into a cage, as the boat assistants chummed the water and also launched a giant fish head into the water as bait. I hardly even saw the sharks with my own eyes. The assistants would lure in a shark with the appetizing bait, and tell us to submerge ourselves under the water so we could view the sharks swimming around. But the visibility was pretty bad, so it was a giant blur.

We spent a few more days in town before we had to head out to the wedding venue – Webersburg Winery. While still in Cape Town, my family and I went on many other adventures, such as hiking Table Mountain, scuba diving with seals, and just hanging out on the beach. We went to Camp’s bay on new years day to watch the sunset - a beautiful sight, with many locals around.

Then, we headed out to the wine lands. South Africa is known by many as the Country of Wine. My sister’s wedding was held at one of the many wineries, Webersburg. The wedding was held outside overlooking endless green land and swallowed by mountains.

My voyage to South Africa was an unforgettable one. Each day spent there I saw endless natural radiance and met many locals who were each tremendously unique. Cape Town definitely left an impact on me and from the mountains to the oceans there, you won’t be disappointed.

Three workers on the shark diving boat break up a fish head to make chum to throw in the water to attract sharks.
Kirsten Rice, Erin Rice, and Alex Rice, together before suiting up to scuba dive right off Calk Bay.
These gondala-type carriers are a scenic route up Table Mountain, and an alternative to hiking the mountain. The cable cars take you to the top of the mountain, where there is a cafe and a beautiful view.
Camps Bay is a favorite site of locals to watch the sunset.
An assistant begins to dump chum into the water to attract sharks, however, many birds swoop down to munch on the fish bits.
The view of Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain.
While standing above the water, a few workers on the shark diving boat noticed the first shark sighting.
The first photo Erin Rice took on her trip to Cape Town. There were street vendors everywhere, walking amongst cars and selling paraphernalia.
A landscape of Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain in grayscale.
Amy Nguyen, Sarah Statham, Teresa Duryea, and Erin Rice attempting to see some great white sharks.
In this photo, you can see the shark's eyes and mouth.
While on the dive trip, the Rice family rescued many baby seals. The seals had been stranded on a seperate island from their parents because there was a huge storm on Christmas Day in Cape Town that left the babies stranded.
Down by the Ship Channel in Cape Town, there is a large mall, many restaurants, and a ferris wheel that rises above the other buildings. This is a view from below, converted to black and white.
This photo was taken on New Years Day on Camps Bay of some locals playing some casual soccer.
This landscape was taken of Table Mountain from Camp's Bay. The entire time that Erin Rice was in Cape Town, a white cloud sat right on top of the mountain; the locals called the cloud "The Tablecloth."
A selfie that Erin took with her GoPro under the water on her second dive of the day.

Three workers on the shark diving boat break up a fish head to make chum to throw in the water to attract sharks.

Kirsten Rice, Erin Rice, and Alex Rice, together before suiting up to scuba dive right off Calk Bay.

These gondala-type carriers are a scenic route up Table Mountain, and an alternative to hiking the mountain. The cable cars take you to the top of the mountain, where there is a cafe and a beautiful view.

Camps Bay is a favorite site of locals to watch the sunset.

An assistant begins to dump chum into the water to attract sharks, however, many birds swoop down to munch on the fish bits.

The view of Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain.

While standing above the water, a few workers on the shark diving boat noticed the first shark sighting.

The first photo Erin Rice took on her trip to Cape Town. There were street vendors everywhere, walking amongst cars and selling paraphernalia.

A landscape of Cape Town from the top of Table Mountain in grayscale.

Amy Nguyen, Sarah Statham, Teresa Duryea, and Erin Rice attempting to see some great white sharks.

In this photo, you can see the shark's eyes and mouth.

While on the dive trip, the Rice family rescued many baby seals. The seals had been stranded on a seperate island from their parents because there was a huge storm on Christmas Day in Cape Town that left the babies stranded.

Down by the Ship Channel in Cape Town, there is a large mall, many restaurants, and a ferris wheel that rises above the other buildings. This is a view from below, converted to black and white.

This photo was taken on New Years Day on Camps Bay of some locals playing some casual soccer.

This landscape was taken of Table Mountain from Camp's Bay. The entire time that Erin Rice was in Cape Town, a white cloud sat right on top of the mountain; the locals called the cloud "The Tablecloth."